Crime · San Diego, CA
Final Defendant Pleads Guilty in $65M Elderly Fraud Scheme
Haotian Zhang and Zetian Zhang became the last of 25 co-conspirators to plead guilty in San Diego federal court Friday, closing a major chapter in a $65 million fraud ring that targeted thousands of elderly victims nationwide since at least 2019. The Southern California-based network used overseas call centers, fake identities, and short-term rental properties to trick seniors into shipping cash packages to couriers. Two defendants already received sentences of 78 and 70 months; the remaining 23 are scheduled for sentencing before Judge Todd W. Robinson between November 2026 and February 2027. Three charged defendants remain fugitives.